Good morning,
Making promises and keeping promises are an important part of all of our lives. Early on in life I learned that if my dad promised me a spanking, he would keep his word. I also learned that if he promised us something good, we could expect him to keep his word. That is until somewhere around age 9 or 10 he promised to make my sister and me a real swing set for our back yard. Somehow that never happened and I was really upset that we didn’t get our swing set. That bothered me for years. I think all of us face that point in life when a trusted person lets us down. We learn to kind of trust but also remember that maybe, just maybe, someone else we trust will do the same thing. That kind of disappointment sets up an interesting pattern in our lives. We get used to the empty promises of salesmen, false friends and people trying to control us. But we still hold out for someone to come into our lives that will always keep their promises. Surely the God of the Bible must be the one we can trust. We knows he will never lie. He has to keep his promises or he will stop being our God.
That’s the kind of mindset that the Devil uses to get us to give up on God. Sometimes our Enemy gets us to take promises that were never meant for us and claim them for ourselves. Since they were not made to us, God isn’t going to do what we demand by requiring him to keep his word. Satan gets us to claim a promise that could be for us and then hold on to the part of the promise that will make us successful, safe or secure. For example, I see the verses from Jeremiah 29: 11,12 written on church walls and on people’s notebooks and hear them quoting them to friends when facing the challenges of life. They really believe that the Lord’s plans for them will lead to success and safety. To them, these verses prove that they have a secure future and that God will listen to them as they pray. The Enemy keeps them from seeing the rest of the promise. This whole promise is meant for the person who is seeking God and God’s will with all their hearts. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” That promise doesn’t work for people who are using God instead of obeying God. When things go bad and the promise doesn’t work, they feel that they have been betrayed and will need to find another trustworthy friend or system to follow. May the Lord teach us to trust the whole promise, not just the part that meets our needs.
Jeremiah 29: 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Roy Wisner
